


Partners in Crime

by Auldren (lorrenMC_13)



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Drabble, Eventually everyone become friends kinda ok, I’ll add more tags as I go, Partners in Crime au, Slow Burn, Smart Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sneaky janus, cuz he deserves to be clever, i guess, the Drabble starts in high school, the au goes until way after tho, think the 30s style but with modern tech but with no gross 30s beliefs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:08:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28593753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lorrenMC_13/pseuds/Auldren
Summary: I made an au on Instagram where Janus and Remus are partners in crime and I had some ideas for scenes so I figured I’d dump them here.Two trouble makers and a whole world to conquer. Who could resist such temptation when one has such lovely help along the way? Partners in every sense of the word, Remus and Janus live along the edge of life in a frenzied dance. Life is meant to be exciting even if that means some rule bending. Or breaking.
Relationships: Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders
Comments: 8
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

Janus heard Remus before he saw him for the first time. His loud laugh carried up to the third floor rooftop where Janus had set up shop. Business was slow this lunch period, he usually forged at least two or three signatures and notes on a good day. Today he was distracted by the commotion going on below. He craned his head around to watch. There were four boys playing what looked to be a cross between hackysack and monkey in the middle.

The monkey doesn’t appear to be too happy Janus mused to himself. Indeed the boy in question seemed to have given up rescue attempts of the small purple beanbag. Instead he turned in quick circles trying to track the movements but only succeeding in nearly loosing his round glasses. Another loud laugh and Janus focused in on Remus. Average height, messy uniform, even messier curls, he could’ve been just like any other boy at this school. 

Except for that smile. There was something dangerous about that smile. Too much teeth, not enough warmth and entirely too disturbing for a 15 year boy to wear. Janus couldn’t tear his eyes away.  
From here on the roof it was safe to watch. He almost pitied the boy in the middle of the demented game. Almost.

Janus was turning back to his lunch when there was an indignant shout. 

“Remus, stop this at once.”

Pressing his face to the fence Janus saw a newcomer to the game. Same messy curls and average height but a bright spotless shirt tucked neatly into smart trousers. 

“Roman, my dearest brother. Fancy a bit of toss?”, Remus dangled the object in front of him like a bell. 

“That doesn’t belong to you”. Remus took an overly exaggerated look at the object in hand as if seeing it for the first time. He held it up as if appraising its worth.

He paused.

“Are you sure, brother? I am holding it.” 

Roman took an angry step forward, “ that doesn’t make it yours, give it back. Now!” Remus just laughed. Roman started forward but there was a sudden jerk of Remus’s arm and the beanbag shot into the air. One of the boys gave a low appreciative whistle.

“Nice one Remus, you might hit a tree top with that one.”

“Only if I’m lucky,” Remus quipped shielding his face against the sun as he judged his toss.

Roman having been startled by the sudden throw, now seemed to tremble with new found fury. Where does he get that energy? Janus mused having lost sight of the beanbag. Roman didn’t move and Remus refused to look down from the sky. 

Stubborn.

“Roman,” the boy who was monkey was now tugging Roman’s arm, “we might as well go look for it. It couldn’t have gotten too far. I don’t want you getting into trouble so just leaf it, yea?” The monkey’s poor attempt at humor seemed to at least distract Roman who looked down at him with concern.

“But Patton, surely-“

“I said drop it Ro.” Monkey’s-Patton’s apparently- voice was sharp and Roman glared one last time at Remus who was now smiling blissfully at the sky. With a final sound of disgust, Roman allowed Patton to drag him away to the nearby trees out of sight from Janus on the roof above. 

“YooHoo! Roof boy, how good was my shot?”

Janus’s head whipped back to Remus on the ground who, sure enough, stared directly at him. Janus stared back, his throat dry.

“Yes you. My shot, how was it? Please tell me it went far, I have a record to beat you know.” Remus stood, hands on his hips, head tilted back at a odd angle all to shout up to Janus as if conversing casually with a old friend.

Janus was torn between annoyance at being discovered and amusement of the situation on whole. Tapping his pen, he made a decision. He tipped his cap in acknowledgement and proceeded rip of a piece of his notebook. Doing some quick estimates, he wrote down a number and crumpled up the piece of paper. 

Then, just as Remus had done only minutes before, he popped the paper ball into the air, letting it fall on the other side of the rooftop fence. It fell to the ground below. Remus attempted to catch it, nearly loosing balance. Once upright again, there was a moment of silence as Remus unfolded and read the paper. He looked up.

“Really? Only a tree and a half over?,” he peered at the offending trees behind him,” well shit. Next time I’ll use a bat.” 

He folded the paper back up and waved up to Janus, “thanks birdie, remind me to give you a proper thanks next time.” 

Next time? What next time? Janus considered if he should be apprehensive or curious. Remus was already disappearing through the trees with his three hackysack friends when Janus looked back again. He continued staring at the trees, turning over the encounter in his mind. 

For such a cold smile, Remus certainly seemed to exude some sort of strange warmth. Like a screaming kettle Janus thought with a snort turning back to his lunch.


	2. A Job Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Janus gets no work done thanks to a rat man’s job offer.

The next time Janus was at his desk after school working with great care. He was working on what appeared to be homework. In truth it was very much not homework and very much more likely to get Janus kicked out of school. Hence the care.

By the time the footsteps he heard outside the classroom had reached the door, Janus had already slid his special work under plain math notes and dutifully started on problem fourteen. It was quadratics. Insufferable.  
A chair pulled out in front of him.

“I have a job for you.”  
“I have a line” Janus said not looking up.  
“Aww can’t you make exceptions? Just for me birdie?”

Janus looked up to see Remus sitting backwards on the chair in front of him smiling that dangerous cold smile. There might be a two desks between them but Janus wasn’t about to place any faith in publicly owned school equipment above a reputation like Remus’s. He’s seen how fast Remus moved when needed. 

“And why would I do that? Doesn’t seem like a lucrative business practice,” he said folding his hands protectively over his notes.

“Because this,” Remus lurched across the two desks, “ is my proper thanks from before. Remember that? I may be rat bastard but even I remember my Ps and Qs once in a while?”

Janus had covered his flinch with what he hoped was a casual leaning backwards. He had guessed Remus knew what people said about him behind his back but hadn’t considered the delight he might take in it. Even now his eyes seem to shine with some sick version of pride. And they were staring at him, challenging him to say otherwise or perhaps to agree. It was a knife’s edge between the two. A knife’s edge that Remus pointed directly at Janus’s chest.

“Even a fraudulent cheat must draw the line somewhere, I chose tidy business practices.”

Remus was silent for a whole minute before letting out a shout. Screechy and high pitched, Remus threw his head back laughing. Janus was still holding his breath.

“Janus D’ ceite, are you posturing?” Remus’s head swung back to look at him, the picture of mirth. His curls now flew his head as if dazed from the violent shaking.

“Perish the thought,” Janus replied turning his eyes back to his murderous math equations. Janus secretly bristled with irritation. It was one thing to have his special work interrupted during his peak work hours by a surprise customer but another to have said customer outright accuse him of such a peacock display. Even if it was Remus. His pencil was biting into his hand with how tightly he gripped it. Janus might be playing with fire but he knew better than to fan those flames. Lying to Remus wouldn’t get him far; eventually it would come back to bite him. Hard. On the other hand, he’ll be gladly damned before ever admitting to such an petty act. 

“That’s alright birdie, you’ll have all the time you want to impress me on the nice little gift of a job I have for you,” Remus said while climbing onto the desk he had been sitting in front of. “Unless of course you get hit by a truck or fall of that roof you’re ever so fond of, then of course, our time would be quite short indeed unlike my-“

“OK, ok,” Janus interrupted holding his hand up. “Wait, how did you know I’m fond of the roof?” Janus finally looked up to see Remus now sitting on the desk with his crossed legs propped up on the chair in front of him.  
Remus tapped his chin thoughtfully, “ it’s like this birdie.” Remus smiled. Janus waited. Thirty seconds. A minute. Two minutes. Janus raised an eyebrow. Remus waggled both of his. Janus sighed, leaning back in his chair again.

“Well, I’m just loving the suspense.”

Remus grinned, “me too. Now about the job, are you in?”

Janus narrowed his eyes. “I have a choice?”

Remus’s hand flew to his heart in mock shock. “But of course, birdie,” his mouth curled into a smile, “Consensual shenanigans have always been my favorite type.”

“Yes, because it looked very consensual when you were playing monkey in the middle with that boy‘s purple beanbag.”

Remus’s eyebrows went up, “ oh no, no, no. He gave me that beanbag entirely on his own. It’s not my fault Patton didn’t like our agreement.” He wiped nonexistent tears from his eye, “that poor little four eyes, always letting his morals bully him into such a dreary existence. Must be absolute hell.” He held his pose for three seconds before pitching forward with a shriek of laughter.

“They do seem a rather inconvenient item these days,” Janus said.

“I haven’t had a moral since I was six, and I turned out great!” Remus said flinging his arms out in a mock bow.

“Clearly.” 

“Aw birdie, you flatter me,” Remus said with a wink, “ now about that job.”

Janus tapped his pencil against his desk, “does it involve arson?”

“A tragic no my dear birdie poop.”

“Destruction of public property?”

“Maybe next time.”

“Public indecency?”

“Only if you want to,” Remus purred with a smile that was all teeth.

Janus snorted, “Either you’ve changed your style or this job doesn’t sound like a one person gig.”

Remus frowned, “so you’re not interested?”

“On the contrary,” Janus said gathering his papers and finally looking up at Remus, “I’m intrigued.” 

Janus didn’t finish his special work that day. He was much too busy trying to decipher the hungry gleam in Remus’s eyes as they left the classroom.


End file.
